


Caught You

by DearMissV



Category: Cranford - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 11:02:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19249876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DearMissV/pseuds/DearMissV
Summary: What if Mr. Carter survived the blast? Would there be a future for he and Miss Galindo? Read and find out!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on ff.net!

The cries were the worst. Actually crying of any kind is torturous to witness, be that from grief, sad music, nostalgia. What Laurentia Galindo was listening to was completely different however. It was a wail of agonizing pain. It shook her to the core as it resonated from the room down the corridor. It ebbed and flowed as Dr. Harrison slowly performed the surgery, it seemed to take a lifetime, though Laurentia supposed it had only been a matter of hours. The groans stopped for a moment with ragged breathing taking its place. Silence ensued. Laurentia stopped too, her heartbeat beating a tattoo in time with the clock on the mantle piece. Muffled footsteps came from the room towards them, and Laurentia braced herself for the worst, closing her eyes and offering one final prayer.

"It was a difficult surgery my lady, though I believe Mr. Carter will recover." The words were distant, only just being heard above the chaotic thoughts that ravaged her brain. Lady Ludlow muttered a reply, but that did not matter. He was alive. The thought was euphoric, Laurentia breathed easily for the first time since she saw the cart. "Someone will need to be made available for Mr. Carter's care".

"I will." She heard herself exclaim. Dr. Harrison and Lady Ludlow both turned to her, eyebrows raised. "It is the least I can do, I was after all his assistant in the office, why not assist him in this too?" Laurentia hurried to explain. Lady Ludlow inclined her head, "if you think that is best, then I do not see a reason why not my dear."

"Thank you Lady Ludlow, I do."

"Well it is settled then. I will keep Mr. Carter here over night to monitor his condition and in the morning I will have him sent to Hanbury Hall to convalesce."


	2. Chapter 2

Laurentia stood by the bedside and nodded absent mindedly as the doctor explained what Mr. Carter would need in the upcoming days. She knew how to take care of the infirm; she had been there when her father died, then her brothers, her only sister and then finally, her mother. Granted, an amputation was different to scarlet fever or alcoholism but Laurentia knew what she was doing when someone was bed ridden.

She watched his chest, the gentle rise and fall. He was even snoring softly. 'I will leave him in your care, Ms. Galindo. If you need anything please do not hesitate to call upon me." Once the good doctor had left, Laurentia sat down next to the bed. Lady Ludlow had wanted to make Mr. Carter as comfortable as possibly in the given circumstances. Laurentia doubted anyone could be uncomfortable in this room. It was in a secluded part of the house, though richly furnished and finely appointed. As much as she knew how to take care of the sick, it was easier to look after them if they were actually doing something. She really should have brought a bonnet with her; Mrs. Jamieson had ordered another hideously frothy piece and Miss Matty's much simpler widow's cap had been chewed to rags by Mrs. Forrester's cow Bessie. She really should be working, but what if Mr. Carter woke up? She spied his tightly shut eyes and deemed it unlikely. She stood up once more, deciding to have a servant watch over him while she went back to her shop and collect the bonnets.

Trying to fight the fog was like wading through knee-deep mud. No matter how much he wanted to Edward just could not open his eyes. He heard a distant whisper, like silk running through your fingertips, a small gasp of pain and odd murmured word but could not tell whose voice it was. It was a comforting voice, seductive in its richness and depth, so much so that he succumbed once more to the encroaching fog.

Laurentia was beginning to worry. It had been days with little to no sign of improvement. She had not expected to feel this worried over someone she had a platonic relationship with. 'Only, it is not platonic is it?' She thought to herself, 'otherwise you would not be here. You would have sent a card and maybe visited to enquire, but not willingly volunteer to be his nursemaid.' Still, Laurentia could not bring herself to regret her impulsive decision. She felt something, that much was obvious, but she was afraid to admit it to herself.

Mr. Carter squirmed. Laurentia gave a start that was the most movement she had seen from him for days. Could he finally be waking up? She walked over to the bed to investigate. Mr. Carter had settled and was once more sleeping peacefully. Laurentia huffed with annoyance, she was fairly certain that this was not normal. Oh she knew how traumatic the surgery was on his body, at least theoretically, but surely he should have woken up by now. It was settled, she decided, Dr. Harrison would have to be called. She turned her back to the bed and walked through the door into the corridor, firmly believing that her patient would not wake up.

It is fair enough to say that the esteemed Miss Galindo was wrong, though she was not to know that. Mr. Carter cracked his eyes open, and then screwed them up. The light was too much. He felt odd; something was out of place. He tried to sit up but it hurt his head too much. Where was he? He looked around, it was a fine room, and then it hit him with a jolt. It was one of the children's rooms. He remembered the housekeeper telling him that all of Lady Ludlow's children's rooms were in the east wing, but were never opened. Considering that he had never seen this room before, and he prided himself on knowing everything about Hanbury, it must be a child's room. He swallowed, the children had all died; and why was he here? The throbbing in his leg reminded him. He pushed the thought from his mind; he was not ready to confront reality just yet.

Edward cast his gaze over the room once more and spotted a bonnet sitting on a chair. That could mean one thing. That Miss Galindo had been here, and that she would have to come back to retrieve the bonnet. The thought filled him with warmth. He did not care to investigate why, but it did. As he drifted back to a peaceful sleep, he wondered when she would come back.


	3. Chapter 3

"The truth is Doctor, that I do not know what to do. He stirred earlier, but beyond that I have seen little improvement."

Dr. Harrison nodded thoughtfully. He had already checked over Mr. Carter to ensure that there was nothing outrageously wrong with him. He had cleaned the operation site to ensure that infection would not occur. The best he could think of was that Mr. Carter simply needed to rest, that his body was recuperating from a traumatic event. The Doctor glanced at Miss Galindo who was standing at the foot of the bed, wringing her hands. He needed to convince her that everything was fine, and that Mr. Carter would soon wake. Judging from the lady's stance now would not be the time to discuss Mr. Carter's emotional needs afterwards though. Why was she so worried? He understood that the two worked together and shared an interest in the young lad Harry, but this was something else, something...deeper. Harrison shook himself, it was not his place, and he was a respectable doctor treating a respectable man. "Miss Galindo, I understand that you are in a stressful position, but you have done everything in your power to make Mr. Carter as comfortable as possible, that much I can see. I believe Mr. Carter needs to rest. Have patience Miss Galindo, I truly believe that everything will be alright in the end."

Harrison watched closely. The movement was infinitesimal. A breath released, a slight relaxing of the shoulders. Miss Galindo certainly was a controlled character, never revealing too much. Those two small movements were enough for Doctor Harrison. He bid his farewell, collected his bag and left the room. As he walked through the corridors a slight smile appeared. It may not be his place to speculate about his patient's relationships, but that did not mean that he did not approve of this particular one.

~//~

Laurentia sighed once more and continued about her work. She had been sitting in front of the fire in Mr. Carter's room now for what felt like an age. Work was going slowly, she would only get a few stitches in before her eyes darted up to check if Mr. Carter had woken or shifted in any way. She was frustrated with herself, with him, with everything frankly. She had no control over the situation; she could not just click her fingers and make Mr. Carter miraculously better. So she sat, slowly sewing, silently praying, and waiting, waiting, waiting.

~//~

Laurentia jerked awake, and looked into the eyes of Mary, an upstairs maid. "Sorry miss, but I have been sent to look after Mr. Carter", she whispered. Laurentia turned her gaze around the room, it was darker outside, nearing night, and the fire had been re-stoked. She had fallen asleep! How could she have done that? Anything might have happened. Is Mr. Carter okay? Does he need anything? Dressings changed? Enough blankets? Too many blankets? Has he woken up? There were so many things to do. She turned to argue with the maid but had barely opened her mouth before a voice came form the doorway. "On my orders, my dear. You have been here day and night. You need to eat and sleep properly if you are to be any help. Go home, I will send word should anything happen in the night." It was Lady Ludlow, Laurentia deflated, she could not argue and so nodded and stood stiffly. She looked towards the bed, to where Mary was rearranging the blankets over Mr. Carter. She swallowed and hoped beyond hope that he would be well soon.


End file.
